- Feb 15, 2017
- 391
- 43
Not enough discussion of this. I see a lot of effort to keep getting the change-up slower and slower, but if it's too slow, it gives the hitter time to get fooled and still adjust. The ideal speed is a speed that will 1) be slow enough to get a hitter thinking fastball to be too far out in front and 2) is fast enough that a hitter that is briefly fooled will then be late adjusting.
A super slow change could be effective as a novelty pitch, like an eephus pitch, where it's so far out of the ordinary that a hitter can't expect it or adjust to it for that single pitch. But if all you do is throw those, even average hitters will adjust to them.
Agreed - more than 15mph gets consistently crushed at A level travel. Too much time to reload and fire the barrel on it. Those flip changes look cool but can get roasted. DD runs about 12 slower and throws a double knuckle that runs away from a righty and drops. Even when they know it’s coming it’s hard to square up because of the movement…unless she leaves it up.
Without a doubt she is most effective when a steady dose of the stinky cheese is called. She sits game speed 57-58 and can be very effective at 15%-20% changeups. Lots of endcappers and swings and misses by a small margin of error. If she gets a pitch caller that calls 3-5 per 85 pitches she usually gets smacked around some. She has a great drop and plane ball but that change is absolutely what makes her the pitcher she is. If I could do it all over again we would have thrown way more at younger ages even if they got hit, so that she got that absolute confidence to throw it at a younger age.
Oh….and probably one of the most valuable DFP tips I ever read…..was the picklejar change. Took DD’s differential from 8-10 to 12-13 almost instantly when I told her to think about spinning the lid off a jar! Some great knowledge on here!
TIP of the DAY:
Throw that stinky cheese early and often!!